Caroline Flint: As was announced on 27 February 2008 (Official Report, columns 77-78WS), I have now made a rating against the code for sustainable homes a required element of home information packs for all new homes. Regulations to be laid in the House today will amend the HIP regulations to bring mandatory code ratings into force from 1 May 2008.
	The inclusion of information about the sustainability of new build properties adds to the information on environmental performance and energy efficiency already provided and will continue to enhance the value of the pack to all purchasers looking to buy a new home.
	I will also be amending the regulations to extend the temporary provision, allowing the use of insurance cover where property searches data is unavailable, from 31 March to 31 December 2008.
	This provision has played an important role in smoothing the introduction of HIPs. It has helped to ensure sufficient capacity in the searches market to cope with the surge in demand generated as a result of searches being required within HIPs at the front of the process. It has also helped to safeguard consumers in the event of missing data in their searches.
	The Government are committed to open and fair competition in the delivery of property searches so that consumers benefit from good quality searches at competitive prices—we have already seen local authority search prices fall on average by £30. We have also published guidance for local authorities and personal searchers on access to search data, and we are consulting on future charging arrangements. Following this consultation, we will introduce new charging guidance which should fulfil the conditions for open access arrangements and the levelling of the playing field in the provision of searches. It will create the conditions for ending of the use of the insurance cover provision.
	In extending the provision I expect private searchers to make every effort to obtain the necessary data, and only resort to insurance cover where access to required data is denied or data are otherwise unavailable. They should also plan ahead for the ending of the provision. From April, we will publish information on local authority access arrangements to help consumers know the areas that provide open access to searches data.
	We are also publishing today the final report of the area trials—I shall be placing copies of the report in the Libraries of the House. This shows that most participants were satisfied with their HIP, and that buyers were beginning to act on energy ratings. The report also highlights that more buyers would have liked to have seen their HIP, but packs were not being shown by their agents in many cases. The Government have already taken action to raise awareness of the consumers' right to see their HIP and estate agents' responsibilities to make them readily available.
	The implementation of HIPs has gone smoothly and they are making a difference. Our early monitoring and analysis continues to show that HIP delivery systems are working well, delivering the majority of HIPs within 14 days, and the average costs of a HIP has steadied between £300 and £350. Over 370,000 HIPs have now been prepared and over 440,000 energy performance certificates have been lodged.
	Consumers are also beginning to benefit. First-time buyers of one and two-bedroom homes now get important information about their new home for free. With EPCs and the new rating against the code for sustainable homes, all home buyers will benefit from information about the costs of running their home and their environmental impact.
	I am committed to realising the potential of HIPs in making consumers experience of the home buying and selling process faster, more transparent, less stressful and more sustainable. Over the coming months I will continue to engage widely with stakeholders in consolidating the implementation of HIPs.

Mike O'Brien: On 17 December 2007 the Government announced a package of significant improvements to the financial assistance scheme (FAS). This statement is to inform the House of the significant progress being made in implementing those changes.
	Consultation on Draft Regulations
	We are today beginning consultation on a first set of draft regulations. These will increase the percentage covered by the FAS to 90 per cent. of each qualifying member's accrued pension and allow us to pay people from their normal retirement age, subject to a lower limit of age 60. This is the first key stage in aligning the calculation of FAS assistance to the calculation of compensation under the Pension Protection Fund.
	The consultation will end on Maundy Thursday, 20 March. We have sought and obtained cross-party and key stakeholder agreement that a limited written consultation period is appropriate for these draft regulations. This will enable us to increase people's payments as soon as possible.
	In addition we are consulting on proposed changes to the annuity factors used when we need to calculate the approximate annual rates of pension that could be secured by cash sums taken from their schemes by members, for instance as a lump sum. This is a technical area, but the revised factors we are proposing would result in an increase in FAS payments to individuals whose FAS payments are calculated by reference to these annuity factors.
	The consultation documents are available on the Department's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2008/FinancialAssistanceScheme(MiscellaneousAmendments)Regulations2008.pdf; and
	www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2008/revision-of-annuity-factors-in-FAS.pdf; or alternatively via the FAS website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/fas.
	We will be issuing a second set of draft regulations later this month for a longer period of consultation. These will include provisions for early payment for those in ill health, the extension of the FAS to members of schemes wound up underfunded with a solvent employer, requirements on trustees to provide relevant data, and removal of the option to apply for reinstatement into the state additional pension for those eligible for FAS.
	Reinstatement to the State Pension System
	At present members of a qualifying FAS scheme may choose to use their remaining funds in their scheme to pay for reinstatement into the state additional pension (known as "Deemed Buy-Back"). Where this occurs the FAS calculates a notional pension to use as a base for the FAS payments.
	The Young review made clear that the take up of "Deemed Buy-Back" has been low and its interaction with the FAS is potentially anomalous, and that removal of the ability to buy back into the state scheme could simplify the wind-up process.
	We propose to remove the ability for FAS qualifying members to buy back into the state scheme by "Deemed Buy-Back". We will be seeking to make this change as part of the second set of FAS regulations that will come into force in July, subject to passage through Parliament.
	Some trustees will already have received information on the costs of buying back (known as "Technical Amounts") from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC will continue to process any applications subsequently received in respect of members for whom that information has been supplied. However, from today, HMRC will suspend action on requests for "Technical Amounts" pending parliamentary consideration of the proposed regulations.
	Trustee Guidance Note
	Today we are also issuing the first in a series of updates to the trustees of schemes that qualify for FAS which will set out our expectations of them as we move to full implementation of the announced package of improvements to the FAS.
	Compromise Agreement Schemes
	Regulations made last December extended the FAS to schemes which wound up underfunded as a result of a compromise agreement made by the trustees to prevent the sponsoring employer's insolvency. Six schemes in this position have now qualified for the FAS and the FAS operational unit will be working with the trustees of those schemes to obtain the necessary data to ensure that payments can be made to their members as soon as possible. The schemes concerned are:
	Dragon Cosmetics Pension Plan
	Expamet International PLC Group Retirement & Life Assurance Scheme
	Fredk H Burgess Ltd Pension & Life Assurance Scheme
	J & D Wilkie Ltd Pension Scheme 1982
	Lucas Yuasa Pension Scheme
	Norman Butcher and Jones Holdings Ltd Retirement and Death Benefits Plan
	The progress outlined above demonstrates the Government's commitment to the speedy implementation of the announced changes to the FAS.